There’s nothing like a little political hysteria to get the bond market rallying. Last week’s impeachment headlines dropped mortgage rates to the lows for the year. Of course, as the silliness faded into reality, rates edged back up. Where they go from here depends on several factors.

First and foremost is Washington drama. If additional leaks reignite last week’s panic, rates could rally further; however, with the appointment of the special counsel, I think that source of inspiration has been muted.

Recent economic data, especially inflation data, has been rate friendly. Notably, the core consumer price index in Apr fell below 2% again, which is the Fed’s stated target. That may reduce the urgency of the Fed to raise short term interest rates.

Overseas headlines, like the terror attack in the UK, can create momentum for lower rates, but based on recent experience, it would take an extreme headline to break the market’s focus on our final factor.

That factor is expectations for the Trump agenda. Markets seem once again to be focused on the prospects for tax and regulatory reform. In particular, equity markets are banking on a lower corporate tax rate, and if Congress is able to make headway on this issue, the “risk off” trade should pressure rates back up into the range they’ve occupied most of this year.

Interest rates continue to drift slowly higher as the Xanax kicks in on the markets. The French election outcome provided confidence the European Union won’t take any more hits in the short term, and the health care vote in Congress eased concerns about the Trump agenda. Rates have returned to their post-election range looking for a source of inspiration.

A possible source is the Federal Reserve. Fed governors, through public speeches, have signaled more hikes of short-term rates are likely this year, and an increasingly loud chorus is suggesting the Fed will start to unwind its monstrous bond portfolio. I think the former is pretty much baked into current rates, but the latter could shoot rates higher.

A countervailing force may be recent economic data that showed inflation, particularly wage inflation, is subsiding again. The jobs report last week bested expectations, but the wage data suggests the jobs added may be lower paying ones. While I don’t expect the Fed will see this data as a reason to hold back rate hikes, this may give it pause concerning its bond portfolio, and words of caution may creep back into the Fed’s vocabulary. While I doubt this would be enough to spark another bond rally, these factors could contain rates within their current range.